We recently hosted IDC research manager Gary Chen as a guest speaker on a webinar where he shared results from a recent IDC survey on container and container platform adoption in the enterprise. IDC data shows that more organizations are deploying applications into production using containers, driving the need for container platforms like Docker Enterprise that integrate broad management capabilities including orchestration, security and access controls.

The audience asked a lot of great questions about both the IDC data and containerizing production applications. We picked the top questions from the webinar and recapped them here.

Top Questions from the Webinar

Q: What are the IDC stats based on?

A: IDC ran a survey of 300+ container deployers from companies with more than 1,000 employees and have primary responsibility for container infrastructure in the US and modeled it from a variety of data sources they collect about the industry.

Q: IDC mentioned that54% of containerizedapplications are traditional apps. Is there is simple ‘test’ to see if an app can be containerized easily?

A: Docker works with many organizations to assess and categorize their application portfolios based on the type of app, their dependencies, and their deployment characteristics. Standalone, stateless apps such as load balancers, web, PHP, and JEE WAR apps are generally the easiest applications to containerize. Stateful and clustered apps are also candidates for containerization, but may require more preparation.

Q: How do we containerize applications that are already in production?

A: Docker has created a set of tools and services that help organizations containerize existing applications at scale. We help assess and analyze your application portfolio, and have the tools to automate application discovery and conversion to containers and a methodology to help integrate them into your existing software pipelines and infrastructure. Find out more here.

Q: How do we decide whether to use Swarm or Kubernetes for orchestration of applications in production?

A: It comes down to the type of application and your organization’s preferences. The best part of Docker Enterprise is that you can use either orchestrator within a single platform so your workflows and UI are consistent. Your application can be defined in Compose files or Kubernetes YAML files. Additionally, you can choose to deploy a Compose file to Swarm or Kubernetes within Docker Enterprise.

Q: How can containers bechecked for vulnerabilities?

A: Containers are based on an image file. Vulnerability scanning in Docker Enterprise does a binary level scan on each layer of the image file, identifies the software components in each layer and compares it against the NIST CVE database. You can find more details here.

A: The value of the Docker Enterprise platform’s integrated management and security goes well beyond a commercially-supported Kubernetes distribution. Specifically Docker Enterprise allows you to leverage these capabilities consistently regardless of the cloud provider.

With Docker Enterprise, you get an integrated advanced image registry solution that includes vulnerability scanning, registry mirroring and caching for distributed development teams, and policy-based image promotions for scalable operations. We also provide integrated operations capabilities around Kubernetes – simplifying things like setting up teams, defining roles and access controls, integrating LDAP, creating client certificates, and monitoring health. Docker Enterprise makes the detailed configurations of Kubernetes quick and easy to get started and use.

To learn more about Docker Enterprise or the IDC research covered in this webinar: